violence

Video games can often be a source of escapist fantasy... and not always fantasy of the "save the princess" variety. Party Hard, released last year on SHIELD and on SHIELD this summer, falls squarely into the second category. This visceral stealth game is about a Jason Voorhees-style serial killer methodically murdering his partying neighbors. Now there's a mobile version for phones and tablets too, going for $7 with no in-app purchases. Needless to say, it's not for kids.

The original Hotline Miami is a love letter to top-down action game excess, marrying tight and lightning-fast controls to neon-soaked, pixelated 80s aesthetics. (Oh, and that movie Drive.) It's a game that everyone should try at least once, if only to prove that you can make a modern game with old-school aesthetics, but keep enough innovation to make the whole experience seem fresh. On Android Hotline Miami is exclusive to the SHIELD, SHIELD Tablet, and SHIELD TV, and so it is with the sequel, Wrong Number.

Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got several PC and console pilgrims including Hotline Miami, War Thunder, and Always Sometimes Monsters, a new Portal-inspired Zen Pinball table, a mashup of tactic, RPG, and city-building, and standard platformers and puzzlers.

Earlier this week we reported on Google's decision to refuse an Android port of the PC shooter Postal in the Google Play Store. Two days later, a representative of developer Running With Scissors told us that Amazon had done the same for the Amazon Appstore, and provided us with the rejection letters from both companies. Google refusing to allow the controversial shooter onto the Play Store is merely inconsistent; as we noted at the time, games with similar levels of violence like Grand Theft Auto III are easily available. But Amazon blocking the sale of the Android app, when the company sells the same game as a PC download, was just downright hypocritical.

If you're below a certain age or simply not all that familiar with the history of video games, perhaps you haven't heard about Postal. Originally released for the PC in 1997, Postal was an isometric top-down shooter - think Contra with some better graphics.

I was seven years old when Carmageddon first hit store shelves in 1997. Even if the game hadn't been widely banned and censored around the world, I still wouldn't have gotten my hands on it. The off-the-wall violence and bloodshed would have been a bit too much for my parents to permit me to play with good conscience. While leagues of long-time fans poured money into the Kickstarter campaign that allowed Stainless Games to port the game to Android in the first place, I am visiting the game for the first time. Thank you, Kickstarters, for giving me the chance. To anyone considering giving Carmageddon a try - don't think, just buy.

Wonderful news for the roughly everyone on the planet who plays Shadowgun: Deadzone: a whole bunch of new stuff is rolling out today! Notably, there's the Gangs feature which allows you to create groups of friends to play with. There are also a couple new maps that you can explore. And by "explore" I mean "kill things in."

There are also new weapon upgrades, some additional hats (because every game has to have hats now, right TF2?) and bug fixes and tweaks all over the place. Here's the full changelog:

I don't know about you, but when I think of the holidays, my mind immediately jumps to gang violence, prostitutes and M ratings. Which is great for me, because Grand Theft Auto III (normally $4.99) and Max Payne Mobile (normally $2.99) are both on sale for just a dollar each on the Play Store right now. God bless us, everyone indeed!

If you decide to buy these games, be sure to clear out plenty of space on your device. Grand Theft Auto III is a 1GB download, and Max Payne Mobile clocks in at 1.33GB. So, grab a glass of egg nog, hop on WiFi, put on Die Hard and have yourself a merry little Christmas.

When you're creating a game, there are a few key things you need to include: a good atmosphere (be it an intriguing story or just some wildly immersive effects), good gameplay mechanics, and a good hook. What's going to grab the users' attention? Well, for Gears and Guts, all three of those requirements can be summed up with "driving cars into zombies." Oh, and did I mention there's a sweet soundtrack to go along with it?

This game ditches any attempts at a story and simply plops you down in a nice little town that's being overrun by the undead, hands you the keys to a muscle car and says "Now have fun." Gears and Guts offers the user the choice of either touch or tilt controls, which is an absolutely lovely change of pace from games that either force you into one or another.

Here at Android Police, we trade in awesome games. Gingers getting chased by the grim reaper? Check. Apes summoning lightning from the sky? Check. Zombies taking shotgun blasts to the face? Check. A kid playing around in his room when he should be doing his homework? Okay, they can't all be winners. But here's one that is sure to melt your face off: an adorable kitten fighting fields of bunnies. What's that? You don't see what's so awesome about that? Here. Let me show you:

Yes, that's right. These bunnies are terrorists (seriously, some even have bombs strapped to their chests), and our hero, Marbles, has an arsenal of weaponry with which to obliterate the little bunnies.